Flora of North America species comparison

spreading to erect, zigzagged, green, simple or branched from base, wiry, 5–12(–15) cm, glabrous.

prostrate to ascending, sometimes zigzagged, branched from base, not wiry, 5–50 cm.

uniformly distributed, articulated to ocreae, basal leaves persistent, distal leaves abruptly reduced to bracts;

ocrea 2–5 mm, glabrous, proximal part funnelform, distal part lacerate;

petiole essentially absent;

blade 1-veined, not pleated, oblanceolate to obovate, 5–20 × 2–5 mm, margins revolute, never touching along midrib, sparsely papillose-denticulate, apex rounded or apiculate.

ocrea 2.5–12 mm, proximal part funnelform, distal part soon disintegrating, nearly completely deciduous or fibers persistent;

petiole 2–7 mm;

blade light green, sometimes purple tinged, elliptic to elliptic-obovate or obovate, 8–30(–50) × 4–15(–25) mm, margins flat, apex acute to obtuse;

middle stem leaves 1.1–2.1(–3.4) times as long as adjacent branch leaves, distal leaves overtopping flowers.

axillary and terminal, spikelike, dense;

cymes congested at tips of stems and branches, 3–5-flowered.

axillary;

cymes uniformly distributed, 1–7(–10)-flowered.

enclosed in ocreae, erect to spreading, 2–3 mm.

enclosed in or sometimes exserted from ocreae, 1–2.5 mm.

open;

perianth 2–2.5 mm;

tube 12–25% of perianth length;

tepals overlapping, uniformly white, petaloid, oblong to obovate, cucullate, navicular in distal 1/4, apex rounded;

midveins unbranched;

stamens 8.

closed;

perianth (2.2–)2.5–4.5 mm;

tube 23–38% of perianth length;

tepals initially overlapping, pushed apart as achene develops, green, margins white to pink, petaloid, not keeled, oblong, cucullate;

midveins branched, sometimes not visible;

stamens 6–8.

enclosed in or exserted from perianth, black, ovate to ovate-oblong, 1.8–2.1 mm, faces subequal, shiny, smooth.

exserted from perianth, brown to dark brown, broadly ovate to ovate-lanceolate, (2–)3-gonous, (1.8–)2–3.7(–4.5) mm, faces subequal or unequal, flat to concave, apex beaked, edges strongly concave, shiny to dull, roughened, rarely obscurely tubercled; late-season achenes common, 4–6 mm.